‘Dessert’
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Oven 350 F
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1 3/4 cups flour
½ cup butter
½ cup powdered sugar
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Soften the butter slightly in the microwave, but don’t let it melt. Mix everything together until crumbly with a pastry blender or fork. Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9×13 pan. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 F.
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2 cups sugar
4 Tbsp flour
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
4 eggs
Juice of 2 lemons (1/3 cup)
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Beat together with a wire whisk until well blended. Pour into hot crust. Return to the oven and bake 12-15 minutes at 350 F. Cool.
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¼ cup powdered sugar
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Pour the powdered sugar into a small strainer and sprinkle evenly over the top.
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Lemon Bars were a staple food in Ree Heights during the 60’s and 70’s; they probably still are!
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1/3 cup heavy cream
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Pour the cream into a (2 cup) glass measuring cup or small bowl. Microwave on high for about 30 sec to just bring to a boil.
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1 cup Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
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Add the chocolate, stir and beat with a fork until smooth. Add vanilla. Let it sit for 20 minutes to cool.
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2 – 3 cups Dominos powdered sugar
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Transfer to a larger bowl if needed. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat on medium speed with a mixer. Add additional sugar a bit at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Spread on the top of your cake. This is best suited for a flat cake because it is too soft to use on the sides of a layer cake. If you want to make a layer cake, let it run down the sides or frost the top & center layer with the fudge and use whipping cream on the sides.
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1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
2 cups powdered sugar
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Soften the butter in the microwave 10 seconds on defrost mode. Don’t let it melt. Blend butter and powdered sugar with a mixer until it forms a pebbly texture.
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2 tsp vanilla
4 cups additional powdered sugar
1 cup whipping cream
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Add the vanilla and half of the cream. Blend well. Alternate adding sugar and cream until all of the sugar is mixed in. Keep it on the dry side. If it gets shiny, add a little more powdered sugar.
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Check the consistency for spreading. If it is too soft, add a tablespoon of powdered sugar and beat well. If it is too stiff, add a teaspoon of cream and beat well.
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Posted in Cake, Dessert | No Comments »
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Oven 350 F
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1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup Crisco shortening
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Mix on medium speed.
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2 eggs
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Add and mix on medium speed.
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4 Tbsp (heaping) Hershey Cocoa
1/2 cup warm water
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In a separate small bowl or large cup, mix together and stir with a fork until the cocoa is dissolved. Add to the sugar mixture and mix on medium speed until well blended and fluffy. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl a few times with a rubber spatula.
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2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
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Sift together and add to the batter. Mix on low speed until well blended.
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1 tsp vanilla
1 cup milk
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Add liquid and mix on slow to avoid splashing. Mix batter on medium-high for two minutes.
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1 Tbsp shortening
2 Tbsp flour
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Prepare two 8” round cake pans or one 9×13” pan. Use a paper towel to grease the bottom and sides of the cake pans. Sprinkle with flour and roll around to coat the pan. Turn over the pan and tap gently to remove the excess flour.
Pour the batter into the pans. Shake the pan horizontally to level the batter and climb the walls a bit.
Bake the cake in a preheated 350F oven for about 25 minutes. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick in the center of the cake; the cake is done when it comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then slide a table knife around the edges to loosen. Place a plate upside down on top of the pan, invert and tap the bottom of the pan to remove the cake. Cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before frosting.
Frost the cake with vanilla buttercream frosting or chocolate fudge frosting.
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This chocolate cake with thick vanilla buttercream frosting is simply “Birthday Cake” at our house. The cake recipe originated from Donna Faust in Ree Heights. Her cake was a little more dense and moist than this version which I have adapted over the years. I remember eating Donna’s cake with chocolate frosting many times in Ree Heights as a child.
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Single Pie Crust
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Prepare the crust and set aside to cool.
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1-1/3 cups sugar
1-1/4 cups water
1/3 cup cornstarch
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Heat the sugar, water, and cornstarch over low heat until all is dissolved.
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4 egg yolks
3 Tbsp milk
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Beat egg yolks and milk together and add to pan.
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2 Tbsp butter
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Add butter. Turn up the heat to medium high. Cook and stir constantly with a wire whisk until very thick and slightly translucent. Remove from heat.
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½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice or lime juice (2-3 lemons or 5-6 limes)
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Add juice and beat thoroughly. Cool for 10 minutes, beat with whisk and pour into a 9” baked, cool pie crust. Cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate at least 6 hours to set.
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Whipped cream
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Serve with whipped cream.
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Oven 350 F
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½ cup butter, softened
1 cup flour
2 Tbsp powdered sugar
¼ tsp salt
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Cookie crust pie shell:
Mix ingredients with a pastry cutter until crumbly and consistency of cornmeal. Pour into a 9” pie pan, distributing evenly over the bottom. With floured hands, start in the middle and press the mixture into the bottom of the pan and up the sides as evenly as possible. Bake 8-10 minutes at 350 F until lightly golden. Cool completely.
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1 cup water
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
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Measure water, sugar and cornstarch into a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium high, stirring constantly with a wire whip until thick and translucent.
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3 heaping Tbsp strawberry Jello
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Add Jello and stir until completely dissolved. Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes.
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2 pints fresh strawberries
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Wash strawberries; remove stems and slice into quarters. Drain well. Place strawberries in the cool crust; pour the jello mixture over top. Refrigerate 4 hours until set. Cover and store in refrigerator until serving.
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Whipped cream
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Serve with whipped cream.
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Gramma Florence gave me this recipe. It doesn’t seem like typical Ree Heights fare; I’ve always wondered where it originated.
Posted in Dessert, Florence Nicholas, Pie | No Comments »
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Yields: A Two-Crust Pie
or 2 Bottom Crusts
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2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2/3 cup plus 2 Tbsp shortening
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Place flour and salt in a small mixing bowl. Add shortening. Cut the shortening into the flour with a pastry blender or the side of a fork. Blend until the dough is crumbly.
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6 Tbsp ice-cold water
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Add the cold water. Blend quickly with a fork to form a ball. Flour your hands and squeeze through the dough a few times. Divide into two balls. Take care not to handle the dough too much, it will be tough.
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¼ cup flour
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Sprinkle the flour generously on the countertop and rolling pin. Place the first dough ball on the flour, pat down and roll a few times to 1” thick. Push in the edges to build up the outside a bit and form a circle. Generously sprinkle flour on top and on the rolling pin. Roll the dough from the center to the edges to about 1/8” thick. Sprinkle more flour if it gets sticky. Gently lift one side and fold the dough in half. Pick up the half circle and lay it on the pie plate, adjusting to the center line. Unfold the dough and push it down the sides into the pie plate, taking care not to stretch the dough. Cut any excess areas to one inch larger than the pie plate.
If one edge is too short, don’t worry. Just take the excess from another area, wet it with a few drops of cold water and press into the short spot.
Add the pie filling.
Roll out the second ball of dough for the top crust. Fold the top crust in half and gently move to the top of the pie. Unfold and center the crust. Cut off any edges which are protruding more than one inch. Fold the top crust under the bottom and roll to form the edge all around the pie plate. Crimp the edges of the crust between your index finger and the other finger and thumb to form a fluted edge.
Cut a few vents into the upper crust. For fun, make a signature cut, such as my “H”. Cut 3” strips of foil and make a protective cover around the crust. This keeps it from burning.
Bake per filling instructions. Most fruit pies bake at 425 F for 35 – 45 minutes. Remove the foil during the last 10 minutes.
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Yields: One 9” Pie Crust
Preheat Oven 450 F
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1 cup flour
½ tsp salt
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp shortening
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Place flour and salt in a small mixing bowl. Add shortening. Cut the shortening into the flour with a pastry blender or the side of a fork. Blend until the dough is crumbly.
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3 Tbsp ice-cold water
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Add the cold water. Blend with a fork to form a ball. Flour your hands and squeeze through the dough a few times. Form a smooth ball. Take care not to handle the dough too much, it will be tough.
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¼ cup flour
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Sprinkle the four generously on the countertop. Place the dough ball on the flour and pat down to 1” thick. Push in the edges to build up the outside a bit and form a circle. Generously sprinkle flour on top and on the rolling pin. Roll the dough from the center to the edges to about 1/8” thick. Sprinkle more flour if it gets sticky. Gently lift one side and fold the dough in half. Pick up the half circle and lay it on the pie plate, adjusting to the center line. Unfold the dough and push it down the sides into the pie plate, taking care not to stretch the dough. Cut any excess areas to one inch larger than the pie plate. Fold the edges under and crimp with your finger, building up the crust along the edge of the pie plate.
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Using a fork, prick holes in the crust all over the bottom and sides. This prevents the crust from bubbling up when baked. Bake the crust 8-10 minutes at 450 F until lightly browned. Cool completely before filling.
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When I was a teenager in Cheyenne, I loved hanging out in the kitchen with Grandma Wanda (Pat’s mom). She taught me how to make this perfect, light and flaky pie crust. Measure the ingredients carefully and use your hands for the final mix, but don’t handle the dough more than needed.
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